Episode 154 — Matthew 10:34–39 — Not Peace but a Sword

Hey everybody, welcome to the podcast, I’m Nick and it’s amazing to be here with you today.
Today is June 3.
Each day, we follow a simple rhythm: Slow Down, Read, Notice, Reread, Meditate, Respond, and Exercise.
Let’s begin.

Slow Down
Jesus is glad you’re here. He longs to spend time with you. He loves you deeply and wants to be in your presence.
Take a moment to pause, quiet your mind, and turn your attention toward Him.
Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in, then slowly release it.
As you inhale, whisper: “Jesus, You are worth every cost.” 
As you exhale, pray: “Give me the courage to follow You.”
Do this three times, then rest in silence.

Read
“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.
‘I have come to set a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
Your enemies will be right in your own household!’*
“If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.  (Matthew 10:34–39, NLT)


Notice
What hits you most?
Is there a phrase that jumps out to you?
Hold that phrase gently before the Lord.

Reread
Hear these words again — not as a harsh saying to explain away, but as one of the most honest things Jesus ever said about the cost of following Him.

Meditate
Following Jesus is not a private, interior matter that leaves everything else undisturbed. It makes claims on your whole life — your loyalties, your identity, your priorities. And sometimes those claims put you at odds with the people closest to you.
And then the paradox: whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for My sake will find it. 
The life you cling to - the safe, undisturbed, carefully managed life -is the life you lose. The life you surrender to Jesus is the life that becomes truly, fully, permanently yours.
Take a few moments to reflect on this question::
Is there a relationship, a comfort, or a version of my life that I have been unwilling to surrender to Jesus — that He might be asking me to loosen my grip on today?

Respond
Jesus, I want You. I pick up my cross. I choose to follow — You are worth every cost.

Exercise
The rush of life will meet you again when you leave this sacred place—but you can carry this moment into your day by forming new habits.
Habit: Loosening Your Grip
Today’s habit is an act of honest surrender: identify one relationship, comfort, ambition, or version of your life that you have been holding more tightly than Jesus — and consciously loosen your grip on it today.

This is not about abandoning what is good. It is about reordering what is ultimate. Jesus first. Everything else in its proper place beneath Him.

Write it down. Hold it with open hands before God. Then pray: “Jesus, I have been holding this more tightly than I hold You. I loosen my grip today. You are worth more than this — and I trust You with what I am releasing. Take it. And give me the life that only comes from losing this one.”

I have one ask of you before you go, could you please share this podcast with one person today? One person at a time will grow this podcast to help more people walk with Jesus.
That’s your two minutes with Jesus for today.
Now, take what you’ve heard…share it and live it.
Until next time, keep slowing down, keep listening, and keep walking with Jesus.